Welcome​to the Postmodern World

Back in the 1960's and 1970's, there was a slogan that went: "Question Authority." It was a modernist thought to the core, saying that we must question tradition if we are to discover truth. But in the 1990’s the slogan changed to: "Question Reality." That's postmodernism. It is saying, “There is no true reality, not even your own.”

Simply speaking, postmodernism is the view that says absolute truth cannot be discovered at all, neither through reason nor tradition. In one newspaper cartoon, Santa asks a boy, "Have you been good this year?" The boy replies, "It depends on what good means." In back of him a girl is thinking, "65% of my peers say I'm good." Another girl in the line says, "It's really a private matter between me and my family." That's the postmodern world.

To preach Christ today, we need to understand how people are thinking. Many pastors today are still preaching modernist sermons to a postmodern people. Even when we think we're on-target, our sermons often just hang there, having missed entirely. This website is designed to help you become more on target in your Christian communication.​​

Essential Points

When preaching to postmodern people, four things seem to be especially important.

1. AUTHORITYPostmodern people are non-authoritarian. They will listen to others, but they also want people to listen to them since they are relational and connected. They do not like to be controlled or manipulated. They do not respond to guilt or obligation. They do not want emotionalism for its own sake and they often feel repulsed by authoritarian preaching.

So, how can we preach the Bible to them with authority? We can do so by remembering that we do not have to be authoritarian to preach with authority. Scripture possesses its own authority which comes from God. Knowing this, many preachers have now adopted a more conversational tone in their preaching — one that is more transparent, genuine and respectful than in the past.​

2. AUTHENTICITY Postmodern people also respond best to speakers who are authentic and genuine. They want to see the difference the living God makes in our lives. We learn to preach in a genuine way when the Word of God so penetrates our lives that it affects our character and even our emotions.

​Abbé Pierre learned to preach with authenticity by first working among beggars in Paris after WW II.

In one visit to the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, no one could understand him as he preached in French, yet his passion so captivated the students that they gave him a tremendous ovation. Afterwards one of them said, “We did not need a language. We felt the presence of God and the presence of love” (story told by Philip Yancey). Here is a video of Abb​é Pierre preaching on another time.

​3. REDEMPTIONTimothy Keller, who is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, has found that postmodern people reject Christianity when it is presented as moralistic preaching. But they respond well to redemptive preaching.

The Bible is not a manual for moral self-improvement. Rather, it is a book of redemption that depicts our failures and our need for mercy. Accordingly, redemptive preaching focuses on human brokenness and probes the motivations and reasons why we do wrong things. It then points people to the redemptive grace of Christ.

A typical redemptive sermon begins by explaining the plain meaning of the text — not only clarifying what it is about, but also showing how the text speaks to human brokenness — our struggles and temptations and the things we cannot repair. It also helps us to understand why we do what we do, showing how our wrongful actions are usually motivated by our fears and worries and pride and selfishness — things which are born out of our lack of trust in God.

The sermon would then direct people to Christ, whose Atonement heals our hearts. The sermon would help people to realize how the sufficiency of Christ can change them.

For instance, knowing that we have been forgiven, we learn to forgive. Grasping that Christ defeated Satan, we find a new confidence to confront evil. And comprehending that God has loved us sacrificially, we learn to love others in the same way. Spiritual growth is always the result of our deepening confidence in God's sufficiency for us in Christ. The more we trust in God in this way, the more we will mature spiritually.

Moralistic preaching ignores this process and just exhorts people to fulfill the behavioral goals we set for them. But when we preach redemptively, we touch on the raw nerves of life and then direct people to Christ.

In a redemptive sermon, there often comes a point when the logic of the text begins to catch fire in the hearts of people. When this happens, they begin sensing the implications for their own lives. God begins speaking to them. You can hear the room grow still. That’s when the sermon begins to transform lives.

We must allow this process to unfold naturally. People need time to understand a text and agree to its meaning and to see their own human brokenness and the sufficiency of Christ for them. Only then will the sermon transform their lives. If we minimize this process, we will also lessen the redemptive power of our sermon. Once a sermon starts burning on its own, let it. Argue the case convincingly. Probe into human brokenness. Direct people to the redemptive work of Christ. Give people what they need to have God change their lives.

4. COMMUNITYAnother important thing to consider in preaching to postmodern people is a renewed respect for community when we prepare our sermons.

Since the time of René Descartes (1596-1650), modernists considered research to be "a thinking subject who observes an object." Many preachers still follow this approach when they prepare their sermons. They think apart, stuck in an office alone. Another approach is to prepare our messages in community.

Take the topic of lust, for instance. It is a difficult subject to address, requiring us to speak forthrightly, but also with great pastoral sensitivity. The only way we can do this is by preparing our message in community — by spending a lot of time with individuals, interacting with them and understanding their thoughts and struggles.

Preparing messages in community begins with our own attitude. Do you have a pastoral heart that is open to people? Do you make it safe for others to be honest with you about their doubts and struggles?

Besides attitude, we also need to develop authentic relationships. When we hide behind a professional role and never allow our true self to be known, we will never form deep relationships. This will cause our preaching to be superficial and detached. But when we develop authentic relationships with the people we serve, we will preach with a deeper awareness of their struggles and a more honest admission of our own. We will find ourselves preaching as a friend rather than as a distant, isolated figure.